B-36 Crash Site (El Paso) [I didn’t locate it this trip.]

On December 11, 1953 @ 2:37 PM, a B-36 Bomber crashed into the Franklin Mountains in El Paso while attempting to land in snowy conditions. Nine crewmembers serving out country died in the tragic accident. I have always respected the bravery of our armed forces. Lord knows I don’t have what it takes to do the job. I sometimes meet Fort Bliss folks on my flights out to El Paso, and they are always amazing. If all Americans could be a little more like them, I know our country would be a better place. These are people who do more than put their money where there mouth is. They place their lives on the line to ensure our very existence.

We have a duty to nourish a society that so many brave people have died protecting. This means we need to focus on improving this country. A society worth protecting is one that provides for the most vulnerable among us. As a civil servant, I have to be careful about posting anything vaguely political. However, I think that if we all came from the same place that our service members do (a desire to protect and serve the nation) things would be different. They face brutality and war. They give their lives to make sure we can keep our nation alive, goddammit. And we bitch about taxes. It’s something worth thinking about.

***

I set out to investigate the site. I relied on blogs alone to direct me to the location of what remains of the wreckage. On my first trip up the mountainside, I went to the wrong peak. Before my second trip up the mountain, I made sure to check out some blog posts on how to find the area. Unfortunately, I ran out of steam before I could reach the location. Also, without a GPS to locate the precise coordinates, I don’t think I will be able to find the remains.

I’ll try again on another trip. Next time, I will be more prepared (GPS, better clothing, water). I’m kinda impulsive, so I didn’t plan my trip up the mountain as well as I should have. While climbing down a ravine, I almost fell. I have some pretty ugly owies as a result. I must tell everyone that this kind of hike is not for the faint of heart or inexperienced. It is imperative to have good balance and an understanding of how to climb on unstable earth. It is treacherous territory.

Mere physical fitness isn’t sufficient protection. You need to know your limits. Stopping when you reach your limit (as I did) is not failure. It is success, for you have pushed yourself to your max and did something awesomely fun! You can always get better from there. Either way, you’ve burned a ton of calories and gotten a great workout. So stop before you break an ankle and require a rescue. Or worse.

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I think some utility lawyers just jumped for joy/peed themselves over the power line pics I got. That’s fine. As a health care atty, I am in full meltdown right now over the AIM testing breach.